Circles
by Theodore is Rice
Summary: It had happened before. Eren had searched and he had found the pair of blue eyes sitting in that room. Over and over; it never ceased and never failed. His hand rested on the door as his eyes fell upon the person standing before him. This was the first time. It was never the last. [Too lazy to draw a cover photo so that's my profile picture. We do not judge in this house.]
**the first thing i've written in a long time makes its way to fanfiction**

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"Armin, you in there?" Eren quietly pushed the door open, eyes darting around the small, dusty room.

"Is... Eren? Is that you?" The blond's voice was feeble, halfhearted. No. It wasn't okay. Something was wrong with him. A spike of fear wormed its way into Eren's thoughts, demolishing the bravado he had draped across his shoulders and causing his breath to shudder.

He was never there. Every time the brunet looked for Armin, he was always met with an empty room and cold blue eyes. But here-

Here-

Was the friend he had lost and failed to find, staring up at him, tearing him apart with its emotionless gaze.

No, this was definitely not his friend. Without warning, Eren stumbled forward, throwing his arms around the apparition as one would a long-lost friend. The concrete floor was cold under his knees ; the Armin-ghost's chest was comfortingly warm and Eren added the heat of his own burning tears to he temperature.

Cloth and wetness rubbed against his face and the green-eyed dreamer tightened his grip on his friend. "Please, please, please... Where are you? Help..."

Slowly, carefully, cold, heavy arms - fake arms - circled around him, threatening to grab onto his very existence and never let him go. It wasn't... It wasn't him. But he had found something. Eren was closer, closer than he'd ever been. Years of frantic searching weighed down upon him; years of seeing nothing but the other's cold dead eyes threatened to crush him where he knelt.

This had happened before. Where were the memories that flew out of his grasp? This was surely the first time he'd ever seen the ghost; and yet, he knew exactly what would happen - or so he thought he did, with a conviction that would stamp doubt out of any other man's mind.

"Eren."

Just the word was enough to send him reeling, to fire up his neurons and to push his legs into motion. The brunet backpedaled until he felt a cool surface push up against him, could feel the peeling wallpaper through his worn shirt. The figure, wrapped up in blue clothing and adorned with those piercing, omnipresent eyes, was but a blur through the film of brackish tears that would not vanish. "Help me... Please... Please... Where are you? Where- you said- why didn't you stay there-"

"I was in that room for so long-"

"Please... please... please..."

His pleading faded away into feeble whispers and questions about Armin's location. Occasionally a choked sob forced its way out of Eren's throat.

Fingers clamped down on his left shoulder and cold breath tickled his ear. "I'm here. Wait, Eren. Wait."

Something hot seeped through his sleeve and burned like acid on his skin. A head turned, shaking in disbelief as the brain within registered the sight of scraped knuckled and blood running down his arms. White bone showed through the apparition's hands and its hold tightened ever-increasingly, until Eren was convinced that his shoulder would snap and that his throat would go raw from screaming.

Had... had he been yelling?

"I need to look for you... Let me go... Please..." Now, his begging increased in volume, until he was screaming again and tears ran down his face with a renewed vigor.

"I'm right here. Eren... Look. I'm here! I'm here! It's me, Eren... Don't you believe me?"

The brunet wrenched his gaze away from where his phantom's hand maintained a lock on him and stared through the haunting blue eyes. "But... It's... You're not- it's- I need to- to find you- please- let me go-"

"Please... Eren, I'm lost. Help me... Help me..." It repeated, over and over again, until, just as Armin had embraced him, so did he release the frightened brunet.

Eren jumped up as soon as the pressure lifted; the ghost followed soon after. The green-eyed one again pulled the blond into a tight embrace, legs shaking and knees almost buckling.

"Where are you?"

"I'm... I'm right here-" Phantom-tears spilled out of the phantom's fake eyes, creating damp spots on the other shoulder. The demon brought his face up to Eren's and the brunet found himself pulled closer-

Their lips met for a brief moment before Eren realized the absolute depravity of his actions, the deluded thought that he could have this false idol-

He pushed with all his might, the right arm sending his haunt stumbling back. "Go away! No... Stay here- where are you- wait, wait wait-"

Eren ran, he shot, he did everything to get out of that room. The door slammed behind him and he slowed down, continuing the unceasing search for a dead soul.

Eventually, after passing numerous wrong doors and turning back and going in loops, he came to stand in front of a faded door with scarred wood and what appeared to be red stains on the hinges. It was here that he knew with a certain finality that he would never see the fiend again. But still, he thought back to the first time and thought back to the moment he had walked right past this door.

He was behind this door. That was the one thing that would never falter. This is where Eren had left him, waiting alone in the dark with only the knife-sharp eyes to provide light in his despair.

The brunet rested one hand on the door, applied a minute amount of pressure to it. He worked his throat until he knew he could get the words out.

"Armin, you in there?"

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 **subscramb (follow, ya dumbfuck theo) to me pls**


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